Surnames Origin & Last Name Meanings

Recorded as in several forms including Esson, Eason, Easom, Easen and Easun, this is an ancient Scottish surname. It claims descent from the Toschaches of Glentilt, in Angus. It is said that the derivation of Toschaches is from the original Adam and Adamson, names introduced to Scotland either by the Knight Templars of the 12th century, who were probably Norman settlers who were granted lands in the south of Scotland after the invasion of England in 1066. The name transposed firstly to Aythe and then Aysom, and thence to the modern forms in the 17th century. Certainly the records seem to show that however unlikley it may seem, this in fact has happened. The first recognizeable recording it believed to be that of Aythe filius Thome who in the year 1360 was granted the estate known as The lands of Fornoctis in Strathearn, by Robert, known as The Steward of Scotland, and later King Robert 11nd. He was also the first of the Stewart dynesty which ruled the country for three centuries. The Eason surname had a bad start with Johem Eyson being outlawed in 1392 for taking part in the killing of the sheriff of Angus, although thereafter they seem to have lived a blameless existence. So much so thast James Aisonne was the burgess of Stirling in 1588, and John Easson was a member of the Scottish parliament at St Andrews in 1661. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to `develop` often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.